Logic

I can't help but wonder: How much of the Bills' lack of YAC is due to scheme, and how much is due to Allen's ball placement? If I remember correctly, it sure seemed like this offense used to get big YAC numbers in New England. Why does it suddenly not get them here? I know it's downright blasphemy to question Josh's throwing accuracy, but...is it possible his ball placement isn't always the best, and it's not often conducive to YAC? Or IS it a scheme thing? Diggs and McKenzie, at the very least, should be good YAC guys. It's not like we don't have any on our roster.

It's the weirdest thing: There's not a single team in the AFC playoff field that I think the Bills can't beat. On the other hand, there's not a single team in the AFC playoff field that I think couldn't beat the Bills. I could see the Bills making it to the AFC Championship Game or Super Bowl just as easily as I could see them losing in round one.

Yep. This. We saw last year in the Dolphins finale that they'll play for seeding. It matters to them. They want at least one playoff game and the chance at two, rather than accepting the fate of three straight road tilts.

The thought of actively rooting for the Patriots to win the AFC East instead of the Bills makes me ill. I get it. You're thinking that how they perform in the playoffs is all that matters. Still, there's no way I'm rooting for the freakin PATS to win the division. Besides, McDermott is 2-0 in home playoff games but 0-3 in road playoff games.

I think the weather is a part of it, but I also think a big factor is Josh's mindset. Calm Josh Allen is elite. Hyper Josh Allen is two-turnover Josh Allen. On the road, he seems to get into a mental zone where he usually stays calm and collected. Maybe it's due to the crowd noise on the road, the collective effort it takes to thrive as an offense in adverse conditions, whatever. I'm not sure. At home, he seems to get a bit too hyped up, and suddenly his throws are a little bit off and his decision making can suffer. Maybe it's the excitement of playing in front of a home crowd, maybe it's trying to live up the massive expectations that home fans have for him. I'm not sure. All I know is that it seems irrefutable at this point: Josh, by and large, plays better on the road than at home.

I see where you're coming from and I somewhat agree. The only caveat I'll mention is that they sort of DID save his running for "must-have" games. It wasn't until later in the season, about the Bucs game -- which was pretty crucial at the time -- when all else was not working on offense, that they went to the "break glass in case of emergency" QB runs and Josh started running wild. In my mind, Josh's running HAS been pulled out only during offensive slumps or must-win games this year. While the Falcons may not be a very talented opponent, the game itself was a must-win. They were down at half-time, and a loss would've meant giving the AFC East back to the Patriots. I agree with the basic notion that it would be nice if he didn't have to run against inferior opponents, but if we're talking strictly about the importance of the games themselves, the Falcons game (and the Pats game before it) were huge. Again, I'd just love it if the big guy would learn to slide. He was doing a good job of it early in the year, but seems to have at some point said "***** it, I'm barreling into defenders for an extra two yards every time". I'm not sure why. Save that extra effort for must-have downs and big moments in the game, but otherwise...SLIDE!!!!

In my opinion, the Ravens should absolutely re-sign Lamar, and they will. He consistently has around a 100.0 QB Rating, rushes for 1,000 yards every year, and when the team isn't decimated by injuries, he usually has them with 10+ wins. You can't NOT re-sign a guy like that. Baker Mayfield? Now THAT'S a head scratcher. Not sure I'd want to be in the QB purgatory that his re-signing would put the Browns in. Personally, if I was Cleveland, I'd let Mayfield play out his fifth year option and, assuming he doesn't show major improvement, look for a different answer at the QB position.

It's so weird to see Bills fans begging for the team to stop running Josh Allen when he averages 7 yards per rush, is the team's best running threat, and has scored 30 rushing TDs in four seasons. Not to mention the fact that his legs seem to be the only way out of the offensive slumps this team sometimes finds itself in. I understand that we want to keep the guy healthy, but the answer, in my mind, is for him to learn to slide. It is NOT to take away one of the best offensive weapons on our team and ask a guy with that kind of God-given running ability to just stop running. Why take away one of the most deadliest modes of attack that your offense has? Josh needs to learn to slide and slide often. Russell Wilson has done this effectively for YEARS. The answer is NOT to just stop using the potent weapon that is Josh's running ability.

I would be said to see Frazier go, but would happy to receive the compensatory 3rd round picks. Frankly, Frazier deserves another head coaching opportunity. It couldn't be more clear. I'm pulling for him.

Josh's 2021 season has been good enough to prove that 2020 wasn't a fluke, that the Bills were right to re-sign him, and that he should be an upper echelon quarterback for years to come. On the other hand, he has been unquestionably less effective this season. Yardage and TDs and INTs don't paint the whole picture. His EPA, AnY/A, DVOA, all those analytics things that make Terry Bradshaw's head explode...all illustrate that his 2021 hasn't been as good as his 2020. But then, anyone with eyes and a little bit of realism can see that. We can blame the o-line, the receiving corps, the scheme, the weather, our opponents adjusting their defensive approach, whatever. The bottom line is that he hasn't QUITE lived up to the lofty 2020 standards. Don't get me wrong, I think he's still had a very good season, is an obvious franchise QB, and is still putting up impressive numbers. I'm just acknowledging that the "regression" narrative DID come true. It's not the end of the world. It would've been very hard to keep having seasons like he did in 2020. Get the guy a few big, nasty guards and an explosive pass catcher or two and I have faith that he'll have a better 2022. **Ducking to avoid all the ***** about to be thrown my way for saying an even modestly critical thing about Josh**

As much as I hate to ever credit @BADOLBILZ for anything, since he does plenty of tooting his own horn and doesn't need anyone to help him...he's right about the passing game. It is far less explosive than last season. The stats -- both classic and advanced -- bear this out. Everyone figures the Bills need to upgrade the guard spots and maybe the running back room in the offseason, and they probably will. Adding an explosive receiver or two, though, is an underrated need. I love Diggs and Davis, and McKenzie has value as a role player. Sanders will likely be gone and Beasley has lost some explosiveness. We need to add some POP to the WR room for the 2022 season.

I can only comment on my own experience there. Perhaps I was one of the lucky ones with regard to seat location. All I know is that I attended a night game in November, and I distinctly remember feeling much less exposed to the elements -- wind, cold, rain -- than I typically would be at the Ralph. It won't be perfect. Wind and precipitation WILL still affect the players and fans. I think it'll be worlds better than what they both currently face at Highmark Stadium, though.

I've said this in every recent stadium thread, and I'm not trying to sound like a broken record, but it seems many still aren't aware of this: An AP story by John Wawrow indicated that the plan for the new stadium is for it to be constructed in such a way that the stands are mostly protected from the elements, and the wind level on the field is reduced. Seattle's stadium is a great example of this. I've attended a game there, and the way it's constructed made it WAY less cold and windy in the stands than it was outside the stadium. This won't completely eliminate the effects of bad weather, but it will make a big difference for the fan experience and the amount that wind affects the game. To me, this is the best of both worlds. Football is meant to be played outdoors, and nothing beats the atmosphere of a beautiful fall day -- or even a cold winter day -- in Orchard Park. So no, there won't be a dome, but yes, there will be weather protection.

Your mind is clearly already made up. Nothing anyone says is going to change it.

How about the fact that the Sean McDermott Bills are 2-0 in home playoff games and 0-3 in road playoff games?

Every team is playing Russian roulette every time their QB drops back to pass, period. Injuries are just as likely -- if not more so -- in the pocket than they are when running. In fact, based on how our offensive line has been playing for most of the season, I like his chances better on the run than being a sitting duck back there. All the man needs to do is learn to freakin slide!

Honestly, if the dude would just SLIDE the way Russell Wilson does, we wouldn't be having this conversation. The will and determination and X factor -- the very things that make Josh who he is and the reasons he's special -- are also the factors that won't seem to allow him to slide, instead always barreling into defenders for an extra two yards. I have lost count of the amount of times I've yelled "Slide...SLIDE!!" at my screen over the past several weeks.

Re-sign him, for sure. It's taken some time, and some unfortunate injury luck, but he is finally looking like the player he was at Stanford. He also seems like a genuinely good and hard working person and teammate. I don't think we need to worry about him only playing well because it's a contract year and then mentally checking out once he gets paid. "Process guy" through and through. Reinforces the staff's motto of "draft, develop, retain". Re-sign him.

Agreed on the likely trajectory of Allen's career as it relates to rushing. Already, Allen scrambling has become much more of a Plan B for this offensive coaching staff. I think they've done everything they can the first few years of his career to make sure he develops well as a pocket passer -- which he has -- and that he can win games with that as his primary mode of attack. However, when things get stagnant on offense, or they need a spark, or the weather is rotten, or things aren't humming in the passing game, it's "all systems go" for Allen, who sometimes looks like a starting running back out there (did you see his stiff-arm yesterday? Yikes). I don't get the impression from the coaching staff or from Allen that they want him running the ball 10 times a game if they can help it. It's a little bit more of a "crunch time" weapon or "break glass in case of emergency" tool.

One of the things that separates Allen from other QBs and makes him so special is that even when he's having a bad day throwing the ball (and I agree it wasn't as bad as it seemed, but 3 INTs is 3 INTs), he can still take over with his legs. "Oh, the passing game isn't humming? That's okay, I'll run for 82 yards and 2 scores." Special player.

I think it's been pretty well established at this point that more QBs are injured in the pocket than while rushing. There is just no data to suggest that quarterbacks that run the ball a lot get injured more frequently than quarterbacks who stay in the pocket. Really the ONLY legitimate arrow in the bow for the "we run him too much!" crowd is the downfall of Cam Newton. And in fairness, that's a legitimate worry, in my opinion. Long term physical breakdown due to taking too many hits is a real concern.

Honestly, going back through Allen's whole career, when I picture his best games as a pro, more have come on the road than at home. I'd say the best home games of his career were the 2020 Rams and Seahawks games, and maybe the season finale against the Dolphins. He did some impressive stuff against the Colts in the playoffs last year, too, but that game doesn't jump out as a "career highlight game" for him, in my opinion. Just about every other really impressive performance of his has been on the road. Strange. I DO think there's something to his getting a bit too hyped up in front of the home crowd. Calm Josh is deadly Josh. Hyper Josh is 2-turnover Josh.

Works for me. I can flip between the Colts, Titans, and Chiefs games in the 10am window and then watch our Bills win the division at 1:25. West coast start times for football are elite.

The one caveat to all of this: Sean McDermott has yet to coach the Bills to a road win in the playoffs. I generally agree that maybe playing games in Orchard Park in January is not the best chance for our team to be its most productive, but...I'd like to see the team get this monkey off its back this postseason by proving they can win on the road.

Agreed. A pessimist could look at yesterday's game and say "oh man, Allen struggled, we let an inferior team hang around, what a disaster", and that's a fair take. I choose to look at the positive, though: Two major areas that we have been dying to see step up the past few weeks have been defensive line production and offensive line production. BOTH came through yesterday, and arguably are the key reasons we won the game. On the D-Line, Phillips, Oliver, and Rousseau all had very good days. Even Epenesa made a big TFL! On the O-line, the run game was cooking like it hasn't been in a while, and Allen mostly got good protection. Granted, the Falcons front four isn't too hard to handle, but still. Baby steps. Seeing the Bills be able to pressure the passer and limit the run game on defense, and then to get the ground game going and protect the QB on offense was very encouraging as the playoffs near.